Sportswear for team players

ABSTRACT

Strip for team games in the form of a shirt, trousers or an integral suit consisting of two layers—a inner layer consisting of tight-meshed elastic netting material ( 1 ) and an outer layer consisting of ordinary fabric, which is attached in individual parts ( 2 - 14 ) to the elastic tight-meshed undersuit ( 1 ), the parts not being attached to each other in adjacent areas at the selected attachment areas—the classic stretching effect of the elastic tight-meshed netting undersuit ( 1 ) making the affected parts ( 2 - 14 ) of the external fabric suit move apart at the attachment areas affected in the clothes-holding carried out by an opponent—while at the same time, the tight-meshed netting elastic surface of the undersuit ( 1 ) at the attachment areas involved is clearly exposed, thereby immediately signalling the unlawful action—the stretchability of the elastic tight-meshed undersuit also having the effect that the immediate effect of the opponent&#39;s clothes-holding is neutralized—the same stretchability making the external fabric garment parts ( 2 - 14 ) affected be pulled back into their initial positions at the affected attachments areas, after the opponent&#39;s clothes-holding has ceased—the affected attachment areas again becoming invisible.

[0001] The invention relates to a complete strip device for team games,resisting the problems and effects of an opponent's holding of theclothing as the game is being played. The facts that an opponent'sholding of the clothing during game performance is not allowed accordingto given rules of the game, and that the referee immediately has tointervene and judge the offence; are known and undisputable. But, inmost cases of an opponent holding the clothing, the main problems arethat it is very difficult for the referee to notice it, and the playersubjected to the clothes-holding is actively prevented in practicing hisplaying skills, and is in fact, in many cases, as a direct consequenceof the holding of his clothing, directly prevented from scoring a goal,or in the opposite case, as a defender, directly prevented from wardingoff an opportunity resulting in a goal, and this without the refereenoticing or observing the unlawful action.

[0002] The result of a completed team game may in many cases solely relyon the referee's not having noticed or observed such clearly unlawfulactions as hidden clothes-holding by an opponent during the completedteam game, and in many cases, if the referee had registered or observedthe offences, a completed team game would have had a totally differentfinal result. As an example from football could be mentioned, amongothers, the European football championship in the year 2000—in whichmany millions of TV viewers could clearly witness through the TV screenhow extensive and numerous they were, the fouls by hiddenclothes-holding by opponents, and they could just as clearly witness hownumerous they were, the offences that the referees did not notice orobserve, and that the final results of many of the matches played couldhave been completely changed if the referees had observed and judgedeach single offence.

[0003] This invention concerns a strip for team games with a device thatresists and neutralizes the effect of an opponent's clothes-holdingduring the performance of a team game, while, at the same time, thedevice has the effect of immediately making visible the unlawful action,which will immediately result in a response/judgement from thereferee—and in addition to this, the invention has a clearly preventiveeffect on the extensive and repeated problems of hidden clothes-holdingby opponents during team game performance.

[0004] This invention may be described as a complete sports suit with anintegral undersuit consisting of a tight-meshed elastic nettingstretchable in all directions—netting elastics—the outer fabric garmentin individual loose parts being attached externally on this undersuit atselected attachment areas. The elastic stretching effect at theattachment areas makes the loose parts of the external fabric garmentmove away from each other at the attachment areas affected when anopponent holds the clothing, the tight-meshed netting elastics surfacebecoming/being made clearly visible at the same time, therebyimmediately revealing and signalling the unlawful action. The stretcheffect in the attachment areas also has the immediate effect ofneutralizing an opponent's clothes-holding, and the same stretch effectmakes the external loose fabric garment parts return to their initialpositions at the affected attachment areas when the opponent'sclothes-holding ceases, the affected attachment areas again becominginvisible.

[0005] As described, this complete sports suit for team games is made upof two layers, an inner elastic tight-meshed netting layer and an outerlayer of ordinary fabric, this outer layer consisting of individualparts attached to the netting layer but not to each other at theattachment areas. As a visibility factor by an opponent'sclothes-holding, it is therefore important that the colour of the highlyelastic netting device adjacent to the attachment areas—withomnidirectional stretch effect—is a colour that is substantiallydifferent from the other colours of the rest of the general outer fabricsuit.

[0006] The inner layer of the suit—the inner tight-meshed netting layerwith an omnidirectional stretch effect—has thickened points, at whichthe netting layer is attached to the fabric part of the outer suit, thethickened points having a rounded shape on the side facing thebody/skin. This has the effect that the outer layer of the suit (thefabric part) is spaced from the body/skin, without sticking to the bodyin moist weather or by sweat, this having the effect that the innerelastic tight-meshed netting layer provides a general air conditioningnext to the body/skin.

[0007] WO-A1 98/46094, GB-A1 2340379 and GB-A1 2340382 all describesportswear for team sports, for example football or similar, in the formof shirts or shirts and trousers, in which, firstly, the pulling orholding of the clothing by an opponent does not immediately prevent thefreedom of movement, and, secondly, has the effect of making offencesvisible to the referee. It is described that releasable fasteners openwhen loaded, possibly exposing fabric of a different colour,respectively that pleated or folded layers are released, becoming extrawide.

[0008] WO-A1 98/46094 also describes elastic means disposed in such amanner that the pleated or folded fabric returns to its initial stateafter the opponent has let go of the shirt/trousers (the strip).

[0009] This invention—strip for team games—is substantiallydistinguished from all the devices mentioned in WO-A1 96/46094, GB-A12340379 and GB-A1 23403B2. What is substantially different, is the factthat in this invention—strip for team games—a two-layer suit is involvedan integral undersuit of a tight-meshed elastic netting layer and anouter layer of ordinary fabric in individual parts attached to the innernetting layer, but not attached to each other at the attachment areas.The invention appears as a complete integral strip for team games,consisting of two layers, an outer layer and an inner layer, theelasticity/stretch effect of the outer fabric layer being of noimportance to the functioning of the device by an opponent'sclothes-holding during game performance.

[0010] What is further substantially different in this invention, isthat the functioning of the device has the effect of making visible theunlawful action—the opponent's clothes-holding—long before the effect ofthe clothes-holding is there; that is to say, the stretched surface ofthe tight-meshed elastic netting undersuit at the affected attachmentareas has been made maximally visible long before any hindering effecthas been achieved.

[0011] This invention further has a substantially distinguishingadditional function, which is that the inner layer of the strip, in theform of a tight-meshed elastic netting suit, is configured in such a waythat it creates an air space with air flow between the body/skin and theouter fabric layer, having the effect that the outer fabric suit doesnot stick to the body/skin in moist weather or by sweat—and otherwiseprovides general air conditioning adjacent to the body/skin.

[0012] The fact that a strip expands or contracts extremely, is not initself proof or evidence that an unlawful action has been committed byan opponent—neither is the fact that pleated or folded layers arereleased and become extra wide, nor that releasable fasteners open whenloaded, possibly exposing fabric of a different colour. Evidence andexact proof with pertinent response from the referee is that the referee(or the linesman) actually observes and notices the unlawful actionbeing carried out, resulting then in pertinent response/assessment fromthe referee. The device according to this invention has the effect thatan opponent's clothes-holding is quickly observed and noticed by thereferee, as if it was a direct observation of the action/offenceitself—with the immediate following response from the referee.

[0013] The device of this invention has been shown in the appendedillustrative drawing, FIGS. 1-8, FIGS. 1-5 providing explanatoryreferences to the attachment areas shown in dashed lines. FIGS. 6-8provide practical and factual references to the functioning of theattachment areas, in addition to the unaffected attachment areas beingshown in dashed lines, and shows the functioning of the device prior toand during actual clothes-holding carried out by an opponent during gameperformance—attachment areas exposed in connection with clothes-holdingbeing given the reference numeral 1.

[0014]FIG. 1 shows an illustrative rear view drawing of a short-sleevedstrip

[0015]FIG. 2 shows the same in a front view

[0016]FIG. 3 shows the sane in a side view

[0017]FIG. 4 shows the same in a side view, the attachment area at theshoulder joint being shown in cross section

[0018]FIG. 5 shows the same in a side view, the attachment area at theelbow joint being shown in dashed lines on a strip top with longsleeves.

[0019]FIG. 6 shows a partial drawing of a moving performing playerwearing the strip according to this invention, the attachment areasbeing shown in dashed lines.

[0020]FIG. 7 shows a partial drawing of the same player in motion, thedrawing referring to clothes-holding carried out by an opponentoccurring at the left-hand side part of the strip trousers/shorts, thisimmediately resulting, as shown in the drawings, in a yielding of theloose parts at the attachment areas, the offence thereby immediatelybeing made visible through the extended elastic tight-meshed nettingsurface at the attachment area as an “eye catcher” for the referenceand/or linesman.

[0021]FIG. 8 shows a partial drawing of the same player in motion, likeFIG. 7, the drawing showing clothes-holding carried out by an opponentat the left-hand part of the strip top—this having as a directconsequence the immediate yielding in the attachment areas, through theinner elastic tight-meshed netting, and the unlawful action being madeclearly visible to the referee and/or linesman.

[0022] The attachment regions have been shown in dashed lines in thedrawings—the dashed lines referring to the attachment areas, in whichthe individual outer fabric parts are not attached to each other but areattached only to the underlying elastic tight-meshed netting suit.

[0023] In addition to the indication of the attachment areas, madevisible in clothes-holding, by the reference numeral 1, the individualouter fabric parts, which are not attached to each other but are onlyattached to the underlying elastic tight-meshed netting suit, are givenreference numerals from and including reference numeral 2—from the topdownwards—the two outer, loose parts of the lower sleeve of along-sleeved strip top being given the reference numerals 13 and 14—atotal of 13 individual outer fabric parts of the strip being given thereference numerals from 2 to 14.

1. Strip for team games, in the form of a shirt, trousers or an integralsuit comprising an elastic netting material disposed in such a way thatthe suit expands when someone pulls at the suit, thereby making visiblean unlawful action of clothes-holding by an opponent, characterized inthat the strip consists of two layers, the innermost layer being anelastic tight-meshed netting material (1), to which are attached parts(2-14) of an ordinary fabric as an outer layer, these parts (2-14) notbeing connected to each other at adjacent areas.
 2. Strip for team gamesaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the predominating colour ofthe elastic stretchable netting meshes of the undersuit of the device isa colour which is substantially different from the other colours of theexternal fabric garment.
 3. Strip for team games according to claims 1and 2, characterized in that the elastic tight-meshed netting materialof the undersuit is attached at points to the external fabric garmentsthe attachment points being of a larger volume than the rest of thetight-meshed netting material, the attachment points forming, at thesame time, part of the elastic netting material and creating a generaldistance/air space between the undersuit and the outer fabric garment,and also creating on the opposite side, through the enlarged volume ofthe attachment points and through the direct contact of the points withthe body/skin, a general distance/air space between the elastic nettingsuit and the body/skin.
 4. Strip for team games according to claims 1-3,characterized in that the attachment points of the elastic tight-meshedundersuit—to which the outer fabric garment is attached, and which, dueto their enlarged volume, on their opposite side touch the body/skin atpoints—may be of varying sizes and shapes and have different spacing. 5.Strip for team games according to claims 1-4, characterized in that themesh of the integral tight-meshed netting undersuit may have meshes ofdifferent shapes and sizes.
 6. Strip for team games according to claims1-5, characterized in that to be adapted for different sports, theindividual outer fabric parts (2-14) of the outer garment may be dividedfurther into several parts (2-14) which are not joined together atadjacent portions.
 7. Strip for team games according to claims 1-6,characterized in that—in its entirety or in parts—the elastictight-meshed undersuit may have such a tight mesh that the meshesthemselves will not be clearly visible unless subjected to stretching.